Second teenager in mall shooting incident dies, parents to donate organs

Manila: A second teenager involved in a shooting incident inside a mall on Tuesday died Wednesday evening as authorities ponder on who is to blame for the tragedy.

A 16-year-old boy who was referred to only as "Jake" in reports to protect his right as a minor, died at 11pm on Wednesday. Earlier, the teenager's assailant, a 13-year-old male, succumbed at 3pm after his parents gave doctors their permission to withdraw life support.

Television reports said both were pronounced dead several hours after having been declared "brain dead" as a result of the gunshot wound.

The shooting had occurred inside a popular mall in Pampanga province, north of the capital, Manila.

A radio report by station dzBB said the 13-year-old boy's parents had decided to donate the kidney and cornea of their son to the Philippine Kidney Institute and Eye Bank.

The 13-year-old boy shot the older teenager before turning the gun, a poket-sized .22 calibre pistol, on himself.

The assailant and the victim had reportedly developed a same-sex relationship through the social networking site Facebook. The suspect had reportedly posted a message in his Facebook page that he would be committing suicide.

The shooting at the SM mall had gripped the country and had brought to light the propensity of minors to carrying out violent acts and the country's lax laws on gun control. Likewise it also exemplified the increasing abuse of social networking sites and underscored the lenient security in commercial establishments.

According to presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda, the incident at the SM Pampanga highlights the need to further tighten security checks at publicly-frequented commercial establishments.

"It's a concern for the public that we see security agencies, security personnel frisking us and it turns out guns are still able to enter the mall premises," he said.

The gun used by the assailant was reportedly owned by his parents.